Bombay HC slaps Rs 50,000 fine on minor for driving without license

The Bombay High Court, on 20 August, has imposed a fine of Rs. 50,000 on the father of a minor boy, who drove his family car without having a licence and met with an accident in the city last year injuring his minor friend sitting in the passenger seat.

After the accident on 14 November 2015, the injured boy was hospitalised and a case of negligent driving was filed in Versova Police Station against the boy who was driving the car which had crashed against a road divider in Lokhandwala area of suburban Andheri Versova.

However, parents of the both the children later came to a settlement and jointly filed a petition in the high court seeking to quash the FIR.

"In the normal circumstances, we would have allowed the parties to get the FIR quashed without imposing cost or on a payment of nominal cost. But the facts of this case are disturbing in nature," observed a bench headed by Justice Naresh Patil in a recent order.

"The owner of the vehicle i.e petitioner's father allowed his minor son to drive a four wheeler due to which minor son of the respondent suffered very serious injuries. We share concern of the public prosecutor that message must go to the society at large. In such a situation even a by-passer or any other third party could have suffered serious damage or injuries. Fortunately, that did not happen," the bench said.

The bench quashed the FIR on condition that the father of the petitioner Rajesh Dholay pay Rs. 50,000 costs and deposit the money within two weeks with Tata Memorial Hospital and Cancer Research Institute in Mumbai.